


Coming home

by tveckling



Category: Dishonored (Video Games)
Genre: Human!Outsider, M/M, Mentions of Billie/Emily, Post-DotO
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-28
Updated: 2017-09-28
Packaged: 2019-01-06 13:12:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12211971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tveckling/pseuds/tveckling
Summary: “Are you here to finish what you started all those years ago?” His voice was hard, but unlike Emily he didn’t know this woman, couldn’t find it in his heart to forgive her for her part in Jessamine’s death. He remembered his own pain too well, and the long nights he had spent with Emily, assuring her that he wouldn’t also go away. Forgiveness, he found, was not something he felt too willing to give.Billie’s face clouded over and her human fist tightened visibly. “I’m not here on my own behalf. Someone wanted to meet you, and I swore I’d help him. Now that I’ve done that I’m going to leave, since I’m clearly not wanted.”“Don’t act too hasty, Billie,” a solemn voice said, and Corvo’s breath stopped in his throat.





	Coming home

Green spilled into red and orange, summer into autumn, and Corvo still hadn’t heard from the Outsider. His mark remained, the mark that he had regained after Delilah’s interference, but he hadn’t felt the magic in several months. It was the same with Emily, he knew, and worry had weighted his heart. No matter how desperately he called, how many shrines he visited, how many times he prayed to fall asleep and enter the Void, there was nothing. And Corvo knew something was wrong.

There wasn’t anything he could do, though. The Abbey had always been suspicious of him and his exploits, and now, powerless, he had to thread far more carefully. So he used spies more and more, forcing himself to get used to listening to others whisper secrets in his ear when he had always been able to cross the city on his own, unnoticed. His days were full, his thoughts forced to move on from the absent god, but at night, in the moments before he fell asleep, he imagined he could smell the scent of leather.

Billie Lurk was a woman of talents, the sort of which Corvo had once been used to, and when he found her waiting in his chambers he shouldn’t have been surprised. He had gotten word of someone matching her description coming into the city a few days earlier, but when nothing had happened he had let his guard down. Silly old fool, he berated himself. Had she wanted she could have easily slit his throat, and who would stand between Emily and danger then?

But Billie only nodded at him, arms loosely crossed across her chest. “Well met, lord protector.”

“Billie Lurk,” he answered as he closed the door behind him. “Or do you still go by Meagan Foster?”

It was hard not to stare at the stone covering her eye, feeling the touch of the Void on it, and by her smirk she knew his thoughts. It appeared she had no intention of explaining anything, however. “Meagan died with the Dreadful Whale. I was Billie Lurk before and I am Billie Lurk again.”

“Are you here to finish what you started all those years ago?” His voice was hard, but unlike Emily he didn’t know this woman, couldn’t find it in his heart to forgive her for her part in Jessamine’s death. He remembered his own pain too well, and the long nights he had spent with Emily, assuring her that he wouldn’t also go away. Forgiveness, he found, was not something he felt too willing to give.

Billie’s face clouded over and her human fist tightened visibly. “I’m not here on my own behalf. Someone wanted to meet you, and I swore I’d help him. Now that I’ve done that I’m going to leave, since I’m clearly not wanted.”

“Don’t act too hasty, Billie,” a solemn voice said, and Corvo’s breath stopped in his throat. “Corvo has reasons to be angry, but he ls not the one you came here for, remember? Emily is waiting for you, with hope and love in her heart. Go to her.”

Billie turned in the direction of Corvo’s personal bathroom, where an achingly familiar person stood in the open doorway. “Are you- do you really want me to leave you here?”

The person walked to her and took her hands, giving a small smile. Corvo had never seen him give a genuine smile. “I’m grateful to you for everything you have done, Billie Lurk, and I don’t know if I will manage to repay my debt to you. I want you to be happy, and in many ways that future lies with your Empress. I am safe here; you need not worry. Go with a free heart.”

Billie glanced at Corvo, then nodded once and in the blink of an eye she was gone. Leaving Corvo frozen and breathless, brittle like glass. He didn’t dare moving, didn’t dare speak, only barely dared blinking when his eyes began aching. Still the figure in front of him remained. He thought he would cry when the person turned towards him, his smile widening and becoming full of such joyful relief.

“My dear Corvo,” the Outsider said, his green eyes sparkling, “how I have missed you.”

His throat to full to allow a single word to slip by, Corvo did the next best thing—walking over and wrapping the Outsider in a tight hug, pouring all his worry and longing and relief into it. It didn’t take long for the Outsider to hug him back, his hands gripping the back of Corvo’s jacket.

There was the smell of leather in Corvo’s nose, and he closed his eyes with a smile. He would want to hear everything that had happened, but for now he was okay with simply enjoying the moment.


End file.
